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The holidays are a time for celebration: joyous events, old-fashioned traditions and sometimes, new places. As with every happy endeavor, however, there are always those unfortunate elements that can contaminate the occasion. …

Locking the door may give some people peace of mind, but you may want to think again. There’s a whole new bogeyman in town. Beware the homemade “bump key.”

Bump keys are uniquely ground-down keys that when positioned just right, can open almost any lock of a particular brand. Think of them as the ultimate skeleton key. Both law enforcement and locksmith companies are concerned with the understanding and accessibility of bump keys at the moment because of videos and photos all over the web explaining how to make and use them.

According to Jack Flam, a professional locksmith and owner of Flams Locks & Keys in Sherman Oaks, California, “They’re showing you not only how to make a bump key, but they are selling the bump keys on the Internet. That’s scary.”

In Southern California, law enforcement says that despite the serious threat bump keys pose, they have not experienced an increase in break-ins so far in the area. They advise residents in their area to use multiple layers of protection for their home, such as alarm systems.

Flam advises that the best way to defend your home against bump keys is to install and use high security locks, ones that feature “bump-resistant” protection or biometric fingerprint access.

BrickHouse Security offers many biometric locks that can be used to combat and defeat the threat of bump keys. These locks are completely keyless, which is a godsend for anyone who constantly loses keys or is worried about loaner keys falling into the wrong hands. With keyless fingerprint entry, a homeowner can add or delete users as they see fit, locking them out or giving them access.

These tools are the first step towards having a secure home and for thwarting the steps criminals take to get around security measures. As long as homeowners are smart and realize the technology that is at their disposal, the bogeyman will fade away.